Ghost grass grows throughout the Shadow Lands.[2] It is said that demons and dragons are among the creatures dwelling in cliff caves. The ruined corpse city of Stygai, which even shadowbinders fear, lies at the heart of the Shadow.[3]

Ancient tales from Asshai claim that dragons first originated in the Shadow and were first tamed by a people so ancient they had no name.[4]

Some areas of the Shadow Lands are populated, as the maroon emperors of Yi Ti kept their court in Jinqi to better guard the borders of the empire from reavers from the Shadow Lands.[5] These people are known as Shadow Men, and are known for covering their bodies in tattoos and wearing red lacquered wooden masks.[6]

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A Game of Thrones

Illyrio Mopatis tells Daenerys Targaryen that the three dragon eggs he gifted her with as a wedding gift come from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai. Illyrio may have procured them from the Shadow Lands himself, but he does not tell Daenerys exactly how he went about obtaining them. Daenerys recalls hearing that the first dragons had come from the east, from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai and the islands of the Jade Sea.[7]

After entering Vaes Dothrak Daenerys rides her silver past plundered goods. Some of the statues she sees are so misshapen and terrible that she can scarcely bear to look at them. Ser Jorah Mormont tells her that they have likely come from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai.[8]